What else was revealing about the Academy Awards besides Sarah Jessica Parker’s dress?

This: people don’t simply watch events anymore, they participate, an undeniable fact made evident by the thousands of people on Twitter sharing thoughts, banter, criticism and praise for everything from Mickey’s hair, to Miley’s dress, to Aniston VS Jolie. They even discussed the awards.

The folks at Mullen put together a website that took the experience a step further. From http://redcarpet09.com/ twitterers could follow posts, isolate someone particularly clever to follow, participate in a series of polls, and even tweet without leaving the site.

It was miniature case study for how to play in the social media space. We weren’t selling anything. We didn’t ask anyone to become a client. We didn’t try to drive traffic to the agency site. We simply created an opportunity to do what I think every brand should be doing: listening/engaging/inspiring/attracting/mobilizing. Oh yes, we learned something in the process. Here it is if you’re interested.